1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for promoting book recycling and their program and recording medium, and especially to a method, device, program and recording medium that promotes selling-off of books by appealing to the person who purchased books that are in high demand to sell them off in a recycling markets for books.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a variety of books that their original purchasers finished and sold off, there exist lawful markets (recycling markets for books) for bringing them back into distribution chains again. In recycling of books, normally the purchaser of books sells them off on their own initiative when those books are no longer needed for some reason. Reasons for selling books off include, for example, lack of space to store them, desire to get rid of them at the time of move-out, a need of getting rid of finished books, etc.
Thus, nothing other than the owner's own decision prompts the owner of books to sell them off, i.e., what books come into a distribution chain and when they do so depends on the original book owner. On the other hand, the price at which one can sell a book cannot be known unless one goes to the actual site of a recycling shop, and it depends on unclear reasons such as the degree of damage of the book and an expectation that the book would be in high demand, i.e., it is often one-sidedly determined by the buyer side.
As described above, currently in recycling of books, one has to wait until owners of books sell them off on their own initiative. In this manner, however, the book in high demand cannot be brought into a distribution channel and active book recycling markets cannot be achieved, i.e., it is often the case that by the time people owning books in high demand try to sell them off on their own initiative the demand for the books is already low due to fleeting interest of general customers. Therefore, there is a need to promote selling-off of books by encouraging owners of books in high demand.
On the other hand, at the time of this appeal to promote selling-off, if buying prices are explicitly stated, people having intention to sell off their books may be strongly appealed to do so. Here, if the buying prices may be updated in real time tying them to the fluctuating prices of the book in the recycling market, it would be convenient for the both parties involved in the book trade. Those selling off books may select a time that they consider most advantageous to sell them off at their own risk. Also, they may find buying prices reasonable as those prices are tied to book prices in the recycling market. Those buying books can offer the most recent buying prices to provide further incentives for people to sell off their books.
Here, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-160991 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-198733 disclose sending of an electronic mail to a customer who previously purchased a certain product at a time point by which the product is likely to have been exhausted so as to promote re-purchasing of the same product. However, this is not for buying a used product, and thus no price will be presented. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-118023 discloses notifying of a buying price after receiving a request from an owner of a product to have it bought However, this is not for promoting buying of a used product, and thus no incentive is provided by offering a buying price.